After my struggles in January and February, I hoped March to be a better writing time for me. Of course, I knew that settling in a new country, learning things, filling (and filing) in paperwork, and many other things would keep me occupied, but with the most stress out of the way, I had high hopes for catching up with everything.
Lesson learned: don’t have high hopes.
At the very beginning of the month, I cut my finger so deep that it didn’t fully heal for over a month, which partially affected my typing ability and made handwriting nearly impossible, but it’s much better now, and I can type at almost normal speed now.
I won’t bore you with other “minor disasters” like our HVAC unit’s malfunction that resulted in our apartment being filled with smoke, and half a week spent heating the place with portable heaters while we waited for the replacement. Trust me, it’s hard to focus on writing when all you can think of is “it’s cold”.
Also, some time in the middle of the month, I got married, and even though the ceremony’s preparation required considerably little time (the benefit of ultra-small and ultra-short wedding), but it still affected my writing routine. Not to mention the paperwork I needed to fill in after that…
But enough complaining: after all, I managed to do some writing, and what’s more important, after months of pre-move stress, filled with preparations and last-minute things, I’m finally able to relax a bit. And the beauty of the area I live in, fresh mountain air, and quite beautiful weather (especially compared to ever-gloomy Ireland), rejuvenate my imagination. The feeling of being idea-less and burnt out slowly fades, and I’m able to focus on my projects. I still have a bit of trouble choosing which one I want to work on, but that’s because they all feel very exciting again.
So, with all the changes in my life, I allowed myself a bit of crazy approach of jumping around (a scene here, a dialogue there), though my mind is already preparing for more structured approach to rewriting of my fantasy novel I finished last year, and as the month progressed, my routine stabilized, though the last days turned out to be a bit of a sprint to reach my word count goal for the month.
And since April already came, I’m juggling the rewrite of my novel as a part of Camp NaNoWriMo (once again, you can have a peek at my awesome cabin folks on Twitter, following hashtag #CabinInTheWords) and writing A to Z Challenge posts, but I’ll tell you all about it when April is over.
This post is a part of the “A Month of Writing” series – a monthly report on my progress in the 365k Club challenge.
I’m impressed you earned the “Cabin Boy” badge! I haven’t been able to earn one of those yet, even though I swear I will write every single day. I keep on missing one or two days here and there, which is super irritating. So congratulations! 🙂
I know what you mean, I missed days like that too in January and February. And I missed my word count goal in February (so no 12 Bullseyes for me ;/ ) by just a few thousands, so I can relate to your feelings. 🙂
Congratulations – you are a dark horse! Not only are you a cabin boy, you’re a MARRIED cabin boy:)). I wish you all the best in your new life together and hope the finger continues to heal – hand injuries are always misery because we USE them so much! I’m very impressed at the progress you’ve managed to sustain during – let’s face it – some fairly major life events. Wishing you further forward momentum in your writing year and huge admiration for all you’ve achieved so far!
Thanks a lot, Sarah! I guess my problem is that now, since I have time (no day job at the moment), I feel like I should be doing so much more. “Everything.” 😉
I can see where all the distractions can lead to a not very productive month writing-wise. But there are moments to celebrate, indeed. Congratulations on your marriage. And I hope to hear more about your writing.
Thank you, G.R.! 🙂
Let me just say this: whenever I feel insanely busy, down and out I am thinking about your courageous efforts and incredible obstacles you’ve had to surmount. Then I open my file and I continue my stories even if sometimes I don’t believe in their success any longer.
I’m glad my experience is supporting you :). That thought helps me through my rough patches. 🙂
Hi Melfka—You live so close to me now. I’m glad you are liking Arizona. It is a beautiful place. And congratulations on your wedding. Sounds to me as if you have met your trials and tribulations head on and conquered them. I haven’t made it over to Tweetverse much lately. Lot of family drama and health issues on my end as well. But will keep on keeping on. Hope the desert and mountains prove to be inspiring for you.
Ouch… Sorry to hear about your troubles, Clara! I hope everything will get sorted out the best way possible.
And indeed, mountains and surroundings turn out to be quite inspiring so far, though I haven’t seen the desert yet (well, we drove through one, but it was the middle of the night, and I was after 24h journey 😉 ).